Re: How to remove OS choices from ex-dual boot system?

Thanks for the tip, Meinolf. I'd never heard of BartPE before but just
looked it up now and it does look useful.

I used a Win98 Startup Disk and used Edit to correct the boot.ini.
(Everything was still FAT32.) Now all is well, and I learned a lot.

Best regards,

Neil


"Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:ff16fb661b0a38cb6817f3f8f644@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello Neil,

You can boot either with a BartPe for example or with the 2000 boot disk
to get to the recovery console and edit the boot.ini from there.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

Thanks, Meinolf.

You're right of course. I didn't notice that difference, have already
(jumped the gun and) changed the file to the one from my other Win2000
system. I should have waited to see your reply, because now when I
attempt to start, I get:

"Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt: <windows 2000 root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install
a copy of the above file."

So now the system can't start at all, but the subject computer has a
floppy drive and I think I can get into it with a Win98 Start-Up Disk
if I can find one. (I *think* I left the hard drive in FAT32, not sure
of that.) Otherwise I guess I'll have to pull the hard drive and put
it in another computer to make the change. Arrrgghhh.

It looks like I've made every mistake it's possible to make, but it
has certainly been a learning experience.

And I very much appreciate all your help -- all you MVPs who replied.
MVPs are great!

Neil

"Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:ff16fb661b08c8cb680b589961a4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello Neil,

The output from before stated:

boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect
C:\=MS-DOS
Your other 2000 machine:

boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect
See the difference between WINNT and WINDOWS. This folders point to
the folder where the OS files are located. So for me it should look
like:

boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect
Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
Finally got it! Now that I know how, I found the boot.ini file in my
other Win2000 machine:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect
So I guess all I have to do now is replace that file in the subject
machine with this one and I'm all set, correct?
And I can delete the MSDOS7 directory too.

"Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:ff16fb661b06a8cb67fe1ee9ffd4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello Neil,

You have to enable the hidden files/folders, open Explorer, Tools,
Folder options, View, "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck
"Hide protected operating system files".

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties,
and
confers no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
Thanks for the quick replies, fellas.

Alas, there is no boot.ini file either in the C: root directory or
anywhere else on the hard drive.

Searching on "boot" I find several other files, but none of them
in the root directory. There are a few "pqboot" files, so I assume
Partition Magic has taken over what boot.ini was supposed to do.

Apart from some folders (mostly the usual ones I guess) the only
things in
the root directory are config.sys, msdos.sys and a few text files.
Config.sys contains nothing but "REM Setup Generated File."
Msdos.sys
contains:
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\MSDOS7
WinBootDir=C:\MSDOS7
[Options]
LOGO=0
BootGUI=0
Any ideas?
"Dave Patrick" <DSPatrick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u%23EMFTcmJHA.4372@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Can you post the contents of C:\boot.ini ?

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
"Neil Harrington" wrote:
I have a Windows 2000 computer which a couple of years ago I
made dual boot with Windows 98. I don't recall the details at
all but remember it took quite some finagling with Partition
Magic since the Win98 partition had to be the first one, and
converted to FAT32 of course. Later I decided to dump the dual
boot arrangement and go back to just Win2000, again accomplished
with PM.

Since then, whenever I start up I'm given the choice of starting
Win2000 or DOS. Evidently the old DOS files were saved in a
directory, MSDOS7.

I am going to give the computer to a friend and would like to
remove the OS choice at startup, as she knows little about
computers and it will only confuse her. How do I do that?





.

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